All Saints - After Dark


So, as I mentioned, I am super lucky to be taking part in the #MAAfterDark fashion event at Manchester's Arndale Centre. My mission (which I  obvs chose to accept!) was to pick a beaut dress for the party season! So with some help from manager Frazer, I got to it....



This whole, fabulous, sparkly section is All Saints latest range - perfect for A/W. Silks, beads and dark wintery shades... Utterly gorgeous. (And my OOTD co-ordinates perfectly, dontcha think!?)



Hmm, got slightly sidetracked by the gorge leather boots and bags on display...



I couldn't resist trying on the Elixir dress! Covered in beads and with delicate straps, this gorge dress just screamed "try me on!!"



 
In the midst of all the muted burgundy, greys and blacks, this pure white, silk dress, really caught my eye. It's minimalist but could easily be dressed up or down. LOVE.



This UNBELIEVABLE beaded top practically had to be prised off me so that I could leave the store... It is so, so stunning. Even at £188 it's worth every penny! The cut fit perfectly and the heavy embellishment made a style statement without looking OTT. Unfortunately, this top didn't fit in with our challenge budget or style (being neither £100 or a dress..) but I had to show you all of it's beaded glory :-)



Trying on nearly everything in the store - well, why not?

Goodbye beautiful top... Sob!



So... somewhere amongst these beauties is the dress that I have chosen for the event tonight! My party dress will be revealed on Monday, so watch this space!

Fashionably Festive!


What better way to get ready for the party season than with a fashionably-festive, Blogger Party!? Hosted by the gorge girls at Fashion Chick, the event took place at the swanky Epernay Bar in Manchester. *If you haven't been to Epernay, it's definitely worth a visit... Their cocktails are so yummy - my fave is a Rhubarb and Custard Spritz (let me know if you try it)

Anyways, I digress...! So, first off, as the Fashion Chick website aims to help "every woman find the perfect look", we were greeted by some of the fab brands on their site, Boohoo and Dorothy Perkins...


Boohoo's range just made me want to literally dance on the table - LOOK. AT. THOSE. SHOES!! Omg. Fluff and sparkle? What more could you want?!

The whole event was utterly glam and the clothing on display totally got me in the mood to party! I was lucky enough to receive a £20 gift card for Boohoo in my gift bag, so I can't wait to head online and get shopping - size 5s please!


Not only could we browse the rails for sparkle and sequins, but we also got the opportunity to get glammed up with a mini make over - Blogger Gail from The Equinox Fashion rocked a "big and bouncy" look!


This table full of make up is every girls dream!


Posing in front of the Fashion Chick Photo Wall - My #OOTN was H to T Missguided. The crop polo neck is fab for dressing up or down,  so I teamed this with a pair of high waisted tartan pants and killer heels!


Next up, Dorothy Perkins had the most GORGEOUS range of sparkly dresses - I love the mix of nude with black. After the night, I felt a bit spoilt for choice with so many beaut items on display, so I'll def be heading back over to the Fashion Chick website for some tips on what to wear with what...



It's always nice to talk serious fashion with like minded bloggers, but sometimes it's also just good to rock a Christmas Tree headband and POSE!

From L to R; Cat, Lauren, Laura, Gail and Rosie!



These phone cases are the perfect stocking filler! <3 Guilty as charged.



Dotty P's had on display these stunning necklaces, designed by ACTUAL Millie Mackintosh. Now even us mere mortals can steal Millie's super luxe style!


Eek, papped! Behind the scenes on a Blogger Selfie!

Finally, the Blogger Goody Bag that we received on the night was UNREAL. Check it out on my instagram. I'll definitely be styling up these pieces for some future posts, so stay tuned...

Which items have caught your eye from the Fashion Chick Party?


Manchester Arndale - After Dark


So, just imagine in a Dream World, that one day you get given £100 to go shopping and pick your perfect Dress for the Party Season. How cool would that be? Then imagine that the shop that you can pick your dress from is All Saints. Wouldn't that be frickin' AWESOME? Well.... this just happened to me!! :-O

Yup, I was recently contacted by the PR team at Manchester Arndale and invited to participate in their After Dark event this Thursday. 

The aim of the event: Around 20 of Manchester's finest Fashion Bloggers have been challenged with picking out THE perfect party dress. Each girl has been assigned a retailer in the Arndale Shopping Centre and given £100 to spend on their party outfit. 

I'm SO excited that my chosen retailer is All Saints, they have such understated, stylish pieces. The materials and shapes are so luxe.


What next?
This Thursday, we'll be revealing our dress of choice to a panel of judges and the Top Ten dresses will go on display in the Arndale.



What's in it for you?? You can vote for your fave dress and you will get the chance to win it!! So watch this space...

Follow all the action from the event by searching for #MAAfterDark on Instagram and Twitter.

Which of these All Saints dresses is your fave?!


Tis The Season To Be Jolly...


So, I know it's still November... But this year I'm feeling particularly festive and can't WAIT to start rockin' my Christmas jumpers! Last week I was lucky enough to be able to take my pick of gorgeous tops from New Look's Christmas range to style up, and I chose this beauty! 



There was a really cute selection of tops to choose from, but this one immediately caught my eye. I loved the fun text and of course, I love a good slogan :-)

As it's quite a lightweight knit, I layered this over a plain rock on ruby slouch vest and teamed it with my ripped ASOS jeans for a laidback look.

Tip: I'm normally a size 8 in tops but got this in a 10 for a looser fit.



Christmas jumpers aren't just for day time wear! I'll definitely be dressing mine up for the party season with killer heels and maybe some sequins... 


Team with a red lip for a very merry look - this lippy is a fave of mine - Lady Danger by Mac.



These beauty's make a showstopping addition to any #OOTD and can you believe they are from Primark?!?!!?! YES, PRIMARK! I'm in love...



:-D I couldn't resist!!

You can see New Look's full range of festive tops online here >> New Look Christmas Jumpers*
Let me know which top you would have picked... Have you started wearing your Crimbo jumpers yet?!


Wednesday Wisdom: Get Shit Done


So... I spend a lot of time looking at inspirational quotes and slogans for work (all in the name of research of course!) and this one really summed up my week. There are so many changes and crazy, new things going on at ROR HQ at the mo, that my desk is swimming in notes and "To Do" lists. 

I always find Wednesdays are one of those days where you've finally recovered from the weekend just gone and suddenly Thursday / Friday are right in front of you... It's then that you realise that you really need to just get shit done!!

We have an event coming up at work in less than 2 weeks and my head is constantly swimming with ideas. But rather than get distracted with "which colour red" is the right red for our table cloths, I know I need to just ..... GET SHIT DONE! :-)See where I'm going with this?!

So here's my Wednesday Wisdom on how to do this!

1. Write A To Do List. I currently have about 3 different lists that I'm working off for different projects and they all keep growing all the time. But at least this way, I won't keep forgetting and remembering the same things!

2. Brain Dump. At night when you're trying to sleep and your head is spinning with ideas and worries and what you need to do the next day... Just stop! Jot everything that's bugging you down into the notes section of your phone and then switch off.

3. Give yourself deadlines. I am the worlds worst at sticking to this! But, try giving yourself a target to get something done by and see where you get!


What are your tips for getting on top of work and blogging??

Getting Merry with Fragrance Direct!


So! this week has been a super busy one in blogging terms! On Wednesday, Gail from The Equinox Fashion and I headed down to the All Star Lanes on Deansgate for the Fragrance Direct Party! The invite promised bowling, cocktails, cupcakes and more! As soon as we were escorted into the event, we hit the photo wall with some blogger pals:

Above from left: Patrick, Stephanie, Stephi, Gail, Me and Rosie


Yummy 'Beauty" themed cupcakes! Fragrance Direct sell a HUGE range of beauty products including Maybelline, Rimmel and Bourjois, so these cakes were totes appropes!

The event  was organised to let us have a sneak peek at some of the Christmas gift sets that are coming out soon... This is ideal for me as I have a December birthday and hate buying perfume for myself! One of these sets will definitely be going on my wishlist. Daisy by Marc Jacobs is my fave fragrance on the table - which is yours?!



The event was filled with bloggers all enjoying delicious cocktails in jars - we got the Aloha Cocktails!


Another treat on the night was to enjoy a complimentary manicure. Fragrance Direct are currently running an offer on their site where you can buy 5 products and get 1 free, so if you know a lady who loves a mani, why not take advantage of the offer in the run up to Crimbo!?



Magical mani's!

As the event promised to be fun filled and active, I wore my new River Island kimono over a grey tee with skinny jeans and over the knee boots.

(Hmm, just realised my whole OOTD was from River? Obsessed, maybs?!)


OOTD: This & That


One of my favourite things to do on a free the weekend is hang out in Manchester's Northern Quarter. The area is always buzzing and I love the quirky bars and shops that are hidden around the little alleyways and back streets.

These impromptu pics were snapped after I discovered a tiny alley way with this interesting mural.. The day was grey and gloomy and this painted, rainy wall was the perfect back drop to a Manchester Saturday.

My OOTD includes skinny ripped jeans from Primark, my fave striped Topshop Tee and this new Topshop cardi. I LOVE this cardigan. It's so snuggly and goes with everything!






Jeans and Brogues - Primark, Cardigan, Topshop




Guess which way we went?! ;-)

What's your fave place in Manchester's Northern Quarter?